


Smiling, Hand in Hand

by EstherA2J



Series: Your Touch on My Soul [3]
Category: Smallville, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canonical Character Death, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Holding Hands, Hope, Past Character Death, Romance, Seriously so sweet it will give you cavities, Smile, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Sweet, You Have Been Warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 21:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2666924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstherA2J/pseuds/EstherA2J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chloe never thought she'd get a second chance at the whole soulmates thing. Neither did Lana.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smiling, Hand in Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Takes place shortly after Nell moves to Metropolis and Lana moves in with the Sullivans.

Chloe raised her chin and met her reflection’s eyes in the bathroom mirror. “Okay, Sullivan. Just look again. It’s only a soulmark—nothing to be afraid of.” She held the hand mirror behind her head with one hand while lifting her short hair off her neck with the other. There was the pale pink crossed out fingerprint she’d had for as long as she could remember, and next to it, a brand-new one: rich brown like mahogany, or coffee with a hint of cream. It was beautiful.

She gently brushed a fingertip over the dark whorls. So. She had long ago come to terms with the knowledge that she would never meet the soulmate who had died so young. And yet, she had always felt there was a missing space in her life.

The door swung open behind her, and Lana’s shocked eyes met hers in the mirror. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Chloe. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

Laughing in an attempt at nonchalance, Chloe smoothed her blonde curls down over the fingerprints on her neck. “It’s okay. I should have locked the door.” She turned to leave the bathroom. “I’m done anyway. It’s all yours.”

♥♥♥

Lana pulled her hair into a ponytail at the back of her head and eyed the punching bag dubiously. How had she let Lex talk her into this? That thing was bigger than she was. And this room… she shook her head. An entire room devoted to practicing fighting. Well, with a house as big as the Luthor mansion, you could have rooms for whatever you wanted.

“Lana,” Lex said from behind her, “did you always have… never mind.”

Turning around, she put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” Walking past her, he grabbed the bag and turned to face her. “Let’s get started.”

Rolling her eyes, she stepped forward and lifted her fists. Lex had shown her how to wrap them with tape earlier, and they looked unfamiliar now, like a fighter’s hands.

What was it with the guys in this town lying and keeping secrets anyway? She threw a few punches, then sighed. “I can’t even get the bag to move. I don't see how I'm supposed to take on a guy who's twice my size.”

Lex shook his head at her in gentle exasperation. “Lana, getting the upper hand isn't about size. It's about decisiveness and speed. You have to commit. If you want to be effective, you have to put your whole body into it.” He gave her a challenging stare. “Okay?”

She took a deep breath and raised her fists again. “Okay.” Lunging forward, she threw her weight forward with every strike.

“There you go.” Lex grinned at her proudly. “Now, channel all your anger.”

Rolling her eyes, she paused and shook her head at him. “Some of us aren’t as angry as you are, Lex.”

He laughed. “Of course not. I mean, what's to be angry about, hmm?” He narrowed his eyes. “It's not like a bunch of frat boys came into your own place and harassed you. It's not like you felt helpless when that guy shoved you. And I know it doesn't make you mad that you needed Clark Kent to save you… again.”

Remembering how helpless she had felt, she threw herself into the punches, beating the bag with all her strength.

Lex grinned. “Better.”

Exhausted, she stood back, panting and grinning. “Thanks. Maybe I do have some aggression to work out.”

He nodded. “Don’t we all.” Tossing her a water bottle, he asked, “Hey, do you mind if I ask you about your new soulmark?”

“My what?” Lifting her hand to the back of her neck, she ran her fingers over the scar that had appeared such a short time ago. Of course, a new mark wouldn’t feel like anything.

Lex was watching her with something like sympathy in his eyes. “You didn’t know you had a secondary mark?”

Shaking her head slowly, she let her hand fall. “Since Whitney died, I haven’t really wanted to look.” Did she want to see now? Did it even matter? Her curiosity won out. “Do you have a mirror?”

His lips lifted in a self-deprecating smile. “Of course.”

The new mark was nearly the same colour as her scarred one, though the yellow was brighter, like sunlight. Lana ran her fingers lightly over it, wondering. Could it be Clark? No, he’d had his soulmark for as long as she’d known him, the bright red always peeking through the dark curls at the nape of his neck, partially hidden, but clearly not scarred.

The most likely scenario was someone else with a scarred mark had also just recently gotten a secondary soulmark. She laid the hand mirror down and stared at her face in the ornate wall mirror. Was it unfaithful to Whitney’s memory to be excited? He would want her to be happy.

Running out of the bathroom, she found Lex in the training room. He looked up, surprised, as she ran across the room and threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Lex!”

Gently patting her shoulder, he said, “I take it this is a happy surprise then?”

Looking up at him, she smiled. “Yes. I have no idea who it is, but I’m eager to find out.”

One side of his mouth tilted up. “It is a wonderful thing to find the person you are meant to be with.”

“Lex?” She stepped back, studying his eyes as they skated away from her. “Have you found your soulmate?”

He turned away, but she saw a real smile grace his lips. “Rest assured, Lana, when the time is right, I will shout it from the rooftops.”

Well, if that wasn’t an obvious yes, she didn’t know what was. “I’m glad for you, Lex. I hope you’ll be very happy.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her, still smiling. “Thank you, Lana.”

♥♥♥

Chloe wandered into the kitchen and reached up for a mug from the cupboard. Lana was at the table, bent over a scattering of textbooks and papers, her long dark hair falling in her face. “Hey, Lana.” Chloe poured herself a cup of coffee.

Lana looked up and gave Chloe her I’m-hopelessly-overwhelmed smile. “Hey, Chloe.” She pushed her hair back behind her ears, and gestured helplessly at the books and papers. “You know, math is a lot easier at the Talon. Give me coffees and cash, and I can figure it out, but this—?” She broke off, shaking her head.

Chloe sat down across the table. “I know what you mean. When I’m writing for the Torch, it’s just so easy, you know? But when I’ve got to do an essay for English class, my mind just goes blank.”

Lana’s face lit up with her we’re-on-the-same-wavelength smile. “It’s different when it’s something you enjoy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Chloe wrapped both hands around her mug. It was sometimes hard to believe that there had been a time when she wasn’t friends with Lana. “It is.”

Lana nodded, and her hair fell in her face again. Pushing it back, she blew out a frustrated sigh. “I should have tied this up before I started.”

“Hang on.” Sliding out of her chair, Chloe ran to her room and dug through her hair things. Most of them were way too small to hold all of Lana’s hair—since she kept her hair so short, she had no need for elastics and scrunchies—but there was one barrette she had bought a few years ago that should be large enough. The ruby red butterfly would be gorgeous against the chestnut strands, too. “Here we go.” Chloe came up beside Lana and handed it to her.

“Oh, Chloe. It’s beautiful.” Lana eyes widened and she smiled a new smile that Chloe hadn’t seen before, a smile of pure delight. Handing it back, Lana asked, “Would you do it for me?”

“Sure.” Chloe took the butterfly back with a bit of a shrug and stepped behind Lana’s chair. Gathering up the fine strands of dark hair, she smiled to herself. Lana’s hair was nearly exactly the same shade as Chloe’s new soulmark. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Lana was her soulmate? She shook her head. What a ridiculous thought. Lana was barely over Whitney’s death, and very likely wouldn’t get a secondary mark—from what she’d read, less than half of those who lost their first soulmate ever got a second. Except… there _was_ a second mark on Lana’s neck. Chloe’s fingers stilled. “Lana, did you know you have a second soulmark?”

“Oh. Yes.” Lana tipped her head slightly to one side and the silky strands slid through Chloe’s fingers. “Lex noticed it when he was teaching me to fight.”

Pursing her lips, Chloe gathered up the strands again. Lex, hey? He and Lana had gotten very close since they opened the Talon together. “So, do you have any idea who it is?”

Laughing, Lana replied, “What is this, an interview? No, I don’t.”

“Sorry.” So, it wasn’t Lex then. Probably. Chloe fastened Lana’s hair at the back of her head with the butterfly, and then came around to sit across the table again. “I’m just curious. I don’t know if you saw the other day in the bathroom… but I have a second mark too.”

Lana leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, her eyes holding Chloe’s with her expression she had that showed you she was completely invested in what you were saying. “I wanted to ask you about that, but I didn’t want to pry.”

Shrugging, Chloe laughed a bit. Dropping her eyes to her untouched coffee, she caught her lower lip in her teeth then let it slide free as she wrapped her hands around the glass again. “I just always thought I’d lost my chance, you know? As far as I can remember, my soulmark has always been scarred.” She shrugged again, feeling tears sting her eyes. “I told myself it didn’t matter. How could I miss someone I never knew?”

Lana reached out and took one of Chloe’s hands. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. I didn’t know.”

“It’s not something I usually talk about.” Wiping her eyes with her free hand, Chloe laughed shakily. “Look at me bawling. I’m sorry.”

Lana’s gaze was steady, her eyes full of compassion and understanding. “When I discovered my second mark, I wondered if maybe being excited about it was unfair to Whitney. But, Chloe, we deserve to be happy too.” She took Chloe’s other hand in hers. “Whoever your first soulmate was, he—or she—would want you to be happy.”

“You’re right.” Chloe swallowed hard, blinking away tears. She really didn’t want to let go of Lana’s hands to wipe them away again. “We do deserve to be happy.”

Lana’s smile was bright and understanding.

♥♥♥

It was almost closing time at the Talon, and Lana was clearing tables while waiting for the last few stragglers to finish their coffees. The jingle of the door brought her head around, hoping she wouldn’t have another customer so late. At sight of Clark, she smiled. “Hey, Clark. What can I do for you? We’re about to close, but I still have some coffee in the pot if you wanted a cup—on the house.”

He followed her up to the counter, shaking his head, his eyes sparkling with joy. “That’s okay, Lana. I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Okay.” She laughed, tossing her head a bit, hoping this wasn’t going to be another date invitation. She didn’t have the energy to deal with that right now. Facing him over the counter, she rested her elbows on the surface. “What’s up?”

Resting a hand on the counter, he smiled at her. “You’ve always been one of my best friends, Lana. So I wanted to let you know that I found my soulmate.”

“Oh, Clark. That’s great.” She smiled back at him. Was it terrible that she was relieved? “Is it anyone I know?”

He ducked his head, his grin turning bashful. “Well, we… uh… we haven’t really told our families yet.” He ran his hand through his hair, lifting one shoulder slightly. “I just… wanted you to know.”

Impulsively, she reached out and covered his hand with one of hers. “I’m so happy for you, Clark. And, I have some news too.” She took a breath. “I have a secondary soulmark. I have no idea who it is, but it’s exciting, you know?” She gave him a bright smile.

Clark turned his hand over and squeezed hers, his smile blinding. “Yeah. It is. Congratulations, Lana.”

“You too, Clark.” First Lex, now Clark. Everybody was finding their soulmates. Maybe it was a good omen for her. And for Chloe. Huh. Chloe’s secondary soulmark had appeared around the same time as Lana’s. Could it be—? It was almost too much to hope for.

♥♥♥

Chloe looked up as Clark walked into the Torch office. “Hey, Clark. Here to drop off your article that was due yesterday?”

“Oh.” He blushed. “I’ll have it tomorrow; I swear.”

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. “I swear, Clark, you are the worst for deadlines.”

“I’m sorry, Chloe.” He sat on the edge of her desk, picked up a pen, and began to flip it around between his fingers.

“Stop that.” She tried to glare at him, but her face wouldn’t hold the expression. Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned back to her computer. Even Clark’s annoying habits couldn’t shake her good mood today. “So, if you’re not here with the article, what can I do for you?”

He stared at the pen as if it held the mysteries of the universe. “I wanted to tell you that I–I found my soulmate.”

“Clark, that’s wonderful!” Jumping up, she threw her arms around him.

He hugged her back, a bit awkwardly. “Thanks, Chloe.” There was a note of relief in his voice.

Pulling back, she tilted her head to one side and tried meet his eyes, but he avoided hers. “Clark, what’s wrong?”

His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I guess I was just… worried about how you would take it. I mean, you… well…” He grimaced. “I know you had a crush on me—”

She cut him off, hands on hips. “Seriously? Do you think so little of me? Clark, you’re my friend and I’m happy for you.” She waved a hand airily. “Besides, I have a new soulmate myself.”

His mouth fell open. “You do? Who?”

She shrugged and spun back toward her desk. “I don’t know yet. So, who’s yours?”

“I can’t say yet. Not until we’ve told our families.”

Sliding back into her chair, she nodded. “Sure. Of course.” She smiled up at him. “I’m really happy for you, Clark. Maybe some of your good fortune will rub off on me and I’ll find mine right away.”

He grinned. “I hope so. I want everyone to be as happy as I am.”

♥♥♥

“Good morning, Lana.” Chloe bounced into the kitchen on Saturday morning and stuck a slice of bread in the toaster. “Do you have to be at the Talon today? Because I was thinking: WayneTech has that soulmark analysis thing at their office in Metropolis now. We could go find out if our new soulmates are in the database.” She shrugged. “I mean, if you want to.”

Lana smiled. “Sure.” She had heard of the WayneTech soulmark analyzer, but hadn’t even thought of using it before. She and Whitney had found each other so easily, they hadn’t needed any assistance. But why not? “I’ll do it if you will.”

Chloe’s smile was brilliant.

♥♥♥

The WayneTech soulmark analysis office in Metropolis was very clean and modern, done all in soft shades of off-white. Cushy armchairs and couches interspersed with well-tended plants made up the waiting room.

Chloe breathed a silent ‘Thank you’ that she had thought to call ahead and get them appointments for the same time so neither would have to wait alone. No matter how comfortable were those couches, it would be torture to sit there wondering. And arriving only ten minutes before their scheduled time, they didn’t have long to wait.

Two smiling attendants called them in and Chloe flashed Lana a nervous smile which she returned as they followed the attendants into the analysis rooms. Swallowing hard as the door closed behind her, Chloe catalogued the tiny room. A machine that reminded her of the one at the optometrist filled one corner, a reclining chair in front of it. That must be where she was to sit. A wheeled chair and a tidy desk up against the far wall finished the sparse furnishings.

Chloe’s attendant, a young woman in her late twenties or early thirties with light brown hair, smiled reassuringly as she sat down at the desk. “I’m Sarah. Please, have a seat.” She indicated the reclining chair Chloe had already identified and patted Chloe’s shoulder. “Relax, and lean back here. It won’t hurt a bit.”

“Okay.” Leaning back, Chloe tried to relax as instructed, but it wasn’t easy. She had read up on the analysis process before suggesting it to Lana, so she knew it wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t even touch her; it would only scan her soulmark and fingerprints with an LED and then check them against everyone else in its database.

In only a few minutes, she could possibly know the name of her soulmate. It was difficult to lie still, but she knew that the scanner would not be able to read her mark if she moved her head, or her fingerprints if she fidgeted with her hands, so she forced herself to close her eyes and breathe slowly and evenly as Sarah fiddled with the machine behind her. “You’re doing well,” Sarah said soothingly.

Setting her jaw, Chloe stopped herself from nodding in reply.

“All done! You can sit up now,” Sarah said brightly. Chloe pushed herself up and turned to see. Sarah smiled at her. “Now we just wait to see if there’s a match found. You understand if there’s no match, that only means that your soulmate hasn’t been scanned?”

Nodding Chloe rubbed at the back of her neck. “Yeah.”

A soft chime from the machine brought Chloe’s head up, and Sarah leaned in and grinned. “Match found! She’s only just been scanned: Lana Lang.” Chloe’s mouth fell open and she stood up suddenly. Sarah looked up. “Do you know her?”

Nodding, Chloe managed a “Thank you” before turning as if in a dream and leaving the room. Across the hall, another door opened and Lana stood framed, that new smile of delight curving her lips. “Lana,” Chloe whispered, and stepped forward.

Lana met her halfway, throwing her arms around Chloe, laughing and crying. Chloe found that she was doing the same.

♥♥♥

Later, Lana could not have explained how they made it home safely. Somehow, Chloe managed to drive her little yellow Bug back to the Sullivan house one-handed—her other hand was in Lana’s. They spent the entire trip sneaking glances at each other and smiling. Lana couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Chloe smile so much, and so genuinely. For that matter, Lana couldn’t remember when her own smile had been so full of joy.

As the car came to a stop outside the house, Chloe turned to Lana, started to say something, and stopped, laughing and shaking her head. And it felt so natural to Lana to lift her free hand and lay it along Chloe’s cheek. “What is it?”

Chloe closed her eyes. “I just… wondered if we should—I mean, we don’t have to… We already know, but—” She opened her eyes, met Lana’s gaze. “The reporter in me wants to know.”

Lana laughed and shook her head, not following all of that. “Know what?”

“Sorry.” Chloe ducked her head. “I want to know if we have any reactions.”

“Oh.” Lana grinned. She twisted around and lifted her hair off of her neck. “Here.”

“Okay.” Chloe’s voice was slightly strained. Lana felt a featherlight touch on her neck, then Chloe gasped in awe. “It turned blue,” she whispered.

The rich brown of Chloe’s soulmark faded into a fiery orange at Lana’s touch, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “It’s beautiful. Like fire.”

They walked into the house, smiling, hand in hand. Lana never wanted to let go.

 

 


End file.
